Moore, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since the Alabama game, is not expected to play this weekend against Notre Dame -- but that hasn't changed his ability to have a positive influence on the team.

Michigan Stadium cameras showed Moore standing on crutches outside the tunnel Saturday before the Wolverines took the field against Massachusetts, and despite the injury, Moore -- wearing his new No. 87 jersey and legends patch -- was all smiles.

After sitting behind former standout tight end Kevin Koger for the bulk of his career, Moore was expected to start at tight end this season -- and did, for one game. Since his injury, though, Michigan seems to have found a budding star at tight end in freshman Devin Funchess.

But Hoke chose Moore to honor Kramer for reasons other than on-field production.

"Of course there's responsibility on my shoulders, because I'm a veteran," Moore said during spring practice. "I'm a senior, and this is our team."

Also, being a Green Bay Packer fan as a youth, Hoke said he tried to find a player who best represented Kramer's intangible qualities as a player and a leader.

"(Kramer) was a great athlete here, and obviously I was a Packer fan and I remember watching him play," Hoke said. "For Brandon, he was a guy that we all thought as a staff was the kind of guy that exuded that leadership and character that you want."

Kramer is currently the third former player to receive "Michigan Football Legend" status, the other two being Desmond Howard and Bennie Oosterbaan. Senior wide receiver Roy Roundtree currently wears Howard's No. 21, while sophomore linebacker Jake Ryan dons Oosterbaan's No. 47.

Michigan will award legend status to Gerald Ford on Oct. 13 prior to a home game against Illinois, and re-issue his No. 48 to a player prior to kickoff. The same will be done for ex-Michigan greats Francis, Albert and Alvin Wistert on Nov. 10 against Northwestern. The three brothers all wore No. 11 and the jersey will go back into circulation on that day.